PTC: Fox Deliberately Displays the "F-Word" During Prime Time Football Game

Group
Calls for FCC Sanctions and Advertiser Refunds

LOS ANGELES (January 16, 2007) - The
Parents Television Council™ chastised Fox for what
appeared to be a deliberate display of the "f-word" during
the broadcast of the NFL playoff game between the New
Orleans Saints and the Philadelphia Eagles. The PTC called
on its members to file complaints with the FCC about this
indecent broadcast, and on Fox to refund its sponsors'
money.

During a cutaway shot to the stadium
spectators, the camera focused directly on a woman wearing a
t-shirt clearly inscribed with the words "F--k Da Eagles"
(without the dashes). The shot stayed focused on the woman
and her shirt for several seconds. Fans on the East Coast
saw this obscenity televised during the Family Hour - 8:30
p.m. ET – and it aired at 5:30 p.m. on the West Coast.

"There is no doubt that this was an
intentional airing of patently offensive language on the
public airwaves, as the person wearing the profane t-shirt
was chosen by the Fox Network's broadcast crew from more
than 70,000 spectators in the stadium. The camera operator
selected that particular woman and the director and/or
producers of the event made an affirmative and conscious
decision to air the shot from that particular camera,
forcing the ‘f-word' into millions of homes," said Tim
Winter, president of the PTC™.

"It used to be that you could sit down and
watch an evening football game with your children without
fear of them being exposed to inappropriate material.
Obviously, that's no longer the case. Obscenities airing in
live sports programming are becoming a regular occurrence.
Not only do the networks seem unwilling to implement a
simple 5-second delay to prevent such profanity reaching
children and families, it now appears that they are
intentionally seeking such material out. And in this
instance, like so many others, the v-chip would not and
could not have protected children and families from the
indecent content.

"Broadcasters are legally obligated to act in
the public interest and to adhere to decency laws. Time and
time again the networks have violated those laws and
challenged the right of the public to hold them accountable.
To add insult to injury, the Fox Network has filed suit in
federal court claiming it should have the right to air
unlimited offensive language at any time of day - but the
law does not give them that right, nor has any court granted
it. We are calling on our members across the nation to file
formal indecency complaints with the FCC, and we urge the
Commission to take swift and decisive action to protect the
public airwaves from those who are abusing their privilege
to use them.

"Lastly, we are calling on the Fox Television
Network and all of its affiliated stations to refund to its
advertisers 100% of the advertising revenue they received
for this broadcast. The sponsors were dealt the same
‘sucker punch' from Fox that millions of children and
families received, and they shouldn't be forced to pay for
it."

The Parents Television Council™ (www.parentstv.org®)
is a non-partisan education organization advocating responsible entertainment.
It was founded in 1995 to ensure that children are not constantly assaulted by sex, violence
and profanity on television and in other media. This national
grassroots organization has more than 1.3 million members across the
United States, and works with television producers, broadcasters,
networks and sponsors in an effort to stem the flow of harmful and
negative messages targeted to children. The PTC also works with
elected and appointed government officials to enforce broadcast
decency standards. Most importantly, the PTC produces critical
research and publications documenting the dramatic increase in sex,
violence and profanity in entertainment. This information is
provided free of charge so parents can make informed viewing choices
for their own families.

Parents Television Council,
www.parentstv.org, PTC,
Clean Up TV Now, Because our children are watching, The
nation's most influential advocacy organization, Protecting
children against sex, violence and profanity in
entertainment, Parents Television Council Seal of Approval,
and Family Guide to Prime Time Television
are trademarks of the Parents Television Council.